SEC S11W5: Climate changes in the world

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Hi there!

It was with shock that I realized this morning that it is already the end of August.
There is so much on my "to-do" list for the year, but it seems that I am running out of time.

What is time? I think that's a million-dollar question. All that I do know is that time is always going to be with us, always one tick ahead of us, and cannot be rewinded.

Before I waste more time, let me get right back to my diary post of this 27th day of August, 2023.

RISE AND SHINE

I woke up in the early hours of the morning. The sun was not yet coloring the sky over the ocean. It is August, the month of wind in South Africa. There was, however, no wind blowing. It was a quiet morning.

It made me think about something my mom told me the other morning when I spoke to her over the phone. "Die tye verander my kind." Translated, time is changing. Mom is 86 years old. She started to recite a poem she learned at primary school.

Augustus maand hier is ek,
net om te hoor
wat het jy vir my gebring.
Het jy weer die wind gebring?
Wind wat almal voor wag,
vir sommige ‘n voordeel,
vir sommige ‘n nadeel

Translation: August month here I am, just to hear what you brought me. Did you bring the wind again? The wind that everyone waits for is an advantage for some and a disadvantage for others.

Just last night, we watched a documentary about the earth and the impacts of global warming. For the second time in a couple of weeks, I had to hear that if the earth's temperature rises more than 1.5 degrees, we are in trouble.

Mom is right, the times are changing. I can remember December as our hottest month of the year. That was always the reason why schools close for nearly two months. Not anymore. December was not a hot month for us; February was the month with temperatures rising to 40 degrees Celsius.

EARLY MORNING

When we left for church this morning I still had global warning on my mind although it was a beautiful day.

^{A seaview from home}

It was Holy Communion, and we had a family lunch after the service.

I was asked to bring a dessert. Yesterday I decided that I was not going to bake a dessert but that I was going to spoil everyone with a doughnut.
The shop, Fruit Lover’s Market, where I normally buy fruit and vegetables, sells the most delicious cinnamon doughnuts for +/10 STEEM for 9 doughnuts.
It was our first stop for the day.

They took so long to pack the seven boxes of doughnuts that we were afraid that we were going to be late for church. It was clear that hubby would have to take the shortest route.
Guess what? It was still close!

Last year in April, we had severe rain in our province, which caused flooding, mudslides, roads, and bridges to be washed away, and that claimed the lives of nearly 500 people. In June this year, we had more rain, seven people dead, some missing, and for the first time, a tornado. This is a result of global warming, according to the experts.

One of the roads of which parts were washed away is the road we normally take to church. We now have no choice but to travel on the highway and pay the toll fees of +/- 12 STEEM.

If road was fixed it would not have cost us any money plus we would be traveling next to the ocean with the most beautiful scenery.

As we only travel to church on a Sunday I suppose paying the toll fees is not so bad, but I do feel sorry for those who must travel on the highway to work and back. With the rise in fuel costs, the hike in interest rates, and the increase in living costs, the extra burden of toll fees can make life even more difficult.

And we made it in time for church! That after we drove behind a police convoy escorting the Australian cricket team who is touring South Africa. #ILOVECRICKET

^{Traveling behind the Aussie cricket convoy}

MOM’S TAXI IS ON THE MOVE

Mom’s taxi was on the move from church back home.

As we got closer to home, I told my husband that I could see fire in the distance. The closer we got to our town, the more we could see a thick "cloud" of smoke hanging in the air. It was the farmers burning sugar cane.

^{Burned sugar cane field and smoke "hanging" over the town}

Although burning sugar cane is a must, according to the farmers, it has a huge impact on the health as well as the quality of life for the residents and nature of our area. It also has an impact on global warming and pollution.

Turning off the highway and coming down the hill towards our home, I could not help but wonder for how long we would still be driving through lush green vegetation with the sea welcoming us.

FROM DUSK TO DAWN

We had a late lunch.

I was in no mood to cook today with the result that my hubby decided he was going to braai (South African barbeque) for us. We bought beautiful twenty-one-day-aged T-bones yesterday and he wanted to try a new method, chargrilled on a very hot fire.

^{Our South African T-Bone braai}

South Africans just LOVE to braai. We will braai when it is hot, cold, raining, or hailing. On a Sunday like today, there must be thousands of braai fires all over South Africa. I am dead sure that from a spaceship orbiting Earth, the smoke of all the fires can be clearly seen. As it is, fires play a significant factor when it comes to global warning.

The T-bones were cooked beautifully and were super soft, but it left me with a guilty feeling. Mother Earth is waiting for us to make a difference and it starts right here at our home.

My dearest diary, I have decided today that I have no intention to go anywhere else than Earth. This is where I was born, and this is where I will pass away.

My roots are planted at 8 Ocean Drive, Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on planet Earth and I know too well that my Heavenly Father is with me.

Until next time!

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